ap to Clara. In a moment more a vessel at anchor hid the boat from
view. They had seen the last of him on his way to the Frozen Deep!

"No Richard Wardour in the boat," said Mrs. Crayford. "No Richard
Wardour on the shore. Let this be a lesson to you, my dear. Never be
foolish enough to believe in presentiments again."

Clara's eyes still wandered suspiciously to and fro among the crowd.

"Are you not satisfied yet?" asked Mrs. Crayford.

"No," Clara answered, "I am not satisfied yet."

"What! still looking for him? This is really too absurd. Here is my
husband coming. I shall tell him to call a cab, and send you home."

Clara drew back a few steps.

"I won't be in the way, Lucy, while you are taking leave of your good
husband," she said. "I will wait here."

"Wait here! What for?"

"For something which I may yet see; or for something which I may still
hear."

"Richard Wardour?"

"Richard Wardour."

Mrs. Crayford turned to her husband without another word. Clara's
infatuation was beyond the reach of remonstrance.

The boats of the _Wanderer_ took the place at the landing-stage vacated
by the boats of the _Sea-mew_. A burst of cheering among the outer ranks
of the crowd announced the arrival of the commander of the expedition
on the scene. Captain Helding appeared, looking right and left for his
first lieutenant. Finding Crayford with his wife, the captain made his
apologies for interfering, with his best grace.

"Give him up to his professional duties for one minute, Mrs. Crayford,
and you shall have him back again for half an hour. The Arctic
expedition is to blame, my dear lady--not the captain--for parting man
and wife. In Crayford's place, I should have left it to the bachelors to
find the Northwest Passage, and have stopped at home with you!"

Excusing himself in those bluntly complimentary terms, Captain Helding
drew the lieutenant aside a few steps, accidentally taking a direction
that led the two officers close to the place at which Clara was
standing. Both the captain and the lieutenant were too completely
absorbed in their professional business to notice her. Neither the one
nor the other had the faintest suspicion that she could and did hear
every word of the talk that passed between them.

"You received my note this morning?" the captain began.

"Certainly, Captain Helding, or I should have been on board the ship
before this."

"I am going on board myself at once," the captain proceeded